Icelanders among the greatest fans of US president Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Icelanders' favorite world leader Icelanders have a very positive view of US President Barack Obama, despite the fact that Obama has increased diplomatic pressure on Iceland due to continued commercial whaling. Photo/Official White House Photo

According to a poll Icelanders are among the greatest fans of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Barack Obama. At the same time few nations hold Russian President Vladimir Putin in as low a regard.

Iceland is also one of the countries which has the most favourable opinion of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Merkel has a 58% net favourability rating in Iceland, making Iceland one of the five countries with the highest opinion of the German Chancellor. Finns and Swedes hold a similarly favourable view of Merkel, with a 59% net favourability rating, as do the Vietnamese. Kosovans, however, top the list, with 80% net favourability rating of Angela Merkel.

But dislike Vladimir Putin
At the same time Iceland is one of the countries with most unfavourable views of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of Saudi Arabia and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Iceland is among the countries where these three heads of state are held in the lowest regard. Putin has a negative 58% net favourability rating among Icelanders, Xi Jinping has a negative 29% favourability rating and the Saudi King has a negative 44% favourability rating.